Amgen Completes Construction of Singapore Biomanufacturing Facility

Amgen has completed construction of its $200 million biomanufacturing facility in Tuas Biomedical Park in Singapore. Announced in 2013, the facility will initially focus on expanding Amgen's manufacturing capability for monoclonal antibodies. The facility will be capable of manufacturing both clinical and commercial products.

Built in less than two years, the biomanufacturing facility was completed in half the time required for conventional biomanufacturing plants. It uses single-use bioreactors, disposable plastic containers, continuous purification processing, and real-time quality analysis. It has flexible, modular design that can be replicated in future facilities. The biomanufacturing facility is expected to have the same annual output as a conventional facility but in a single building that will use less energy and water and have lower solid waste and emission levels.

In its third-quarter earning release issued in October 2014, the company announced that it is on track to produce commercial products from the new biomanufacturing facility in Singapore beginning in 2017. The company estimates that enhanced bulk production capabilities at the new plant, when compared to conventional alternatives, represents at one-quarter of the capital costs, one-third of the operating expense, and twice the speed. The company estimates these new capabilities will result in an estimated cost reduction of 60% or more per gram of protein.

In other news, Amgen also announced it will continue building at its Tuas site in Singapore and will soon break ground on another facility where it will make carfilzomib, the active ingredient for Kyprolis, an anti-cancer drug.

Source: Amgen Singapore (via PR Newswire)

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